Improved car-coupling



J. E. SIMPSON.

Car Coupiing.

Patented July 13, 1869.

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Letters Patent No. 92,547, dated July 13, 1869.

IMPROVED CAR-COUPLING.

The Schedule referred 1:0 in these Letters Patent and making part of the sa me.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J OEL E. SIMPSON,-Of Malden Bridge, Columbia county, New York, have invented a new and improved Oar-Coupling; andl do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the. same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification. 1 1 The object of this invention is to provide acarcoupling, so arranged that when. a car is thrown from or runs off the track, and the coupling-parts thrown out of line to a materially greater extent than occurs when .on the track, it will become self-uncoupling, and thereby save much of the damage, both to passengers and cars, in cases of running oif, due to dragging the cars over the ties and rough places.

Figure 1 represents a plan view of a pair of drawhcads or bumpers, connected by my improved couplingdvice, one being sectioned. v

Figure 2 represents an elevation of the connectingbar, also partly sectioned.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In recesses a, in ,theends of the draw-heads or bumpers A, and protected by caps 0,-having central holes I) in the ends, I provide spn'ng-jaws E, closing toward the centre from each. side, and arranged to catch behind the shoulders of a T-headed connectinglink, when pressed in beyond the. said shoulders.

This connecting-link Fforms the chief peculiarity of my invention, and'is constructed with widened and bluntly-pointed ends, slotted as at G, in which slots the T-heads H are pivoted, the shoulders I of which project each side of the link 1 to be caught and held by the spring-jaws E, when the said heads are thrust in beyond them.

These spring-jaws-are arranged to be supported by the end walls of the caps O, and slide on the interior surfaces thereof, so that the drawing-force-is inostly or wholly sustained bythe said caps.

The parts are so arranged that the ordinary vibra tionsof the cars, while running on the track or in going around the shortest curves, will not have any tendency to spread the j awsE away from the shoulders of the T-heads H but when the cars are thrown somuch out of line,

as they must be when one isofi the track, the abrupt inclination thus given to the connecting-link between the jaws, will separate them so widely as to permit the escape of the pivoted T-heads, they remaining, rela- 'tively to thejaws, in the position represented in the drawing, while the connecting-links oscillate around the pivot is, by which the two are connected.

In this way the cars would readily. become disconnected, and thereby save very much damage, both to the lives of passengers and property in the cars, when running off while under high motion.

To disconnect this coupling, either when the cars are running or standing, at hand-lever or rod of iron may be inserted in the hole L- in the link,-and the latter turned thereby a quarter of a revolution on'its axis, bringing the T-heads into .vertical positions between the spring-jaws, and thereby disconnecting the shoulders thereof from the jaws.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

.1. The connecting-links F, provided with the en-' larged pointed and slotted ends, and the pivoted T- heads, and combined with the spring-jaws E, substantially as specified. 4

2. The right-angular spring-jaws E, arranged within the caps O, as described, to slide on the interior surfaces of the same, so that the drawing-force upon the links shall be mostly or wholly sustained by said caps, as herein shown and described.

The foregoing is a description of my invention, signed by me, this 29th day of March, 1869.

JOEL E. SIMPSON. Witnesses'z' FRANK BLooKLnY, E. GREENE COLLINS. 

